Sunday, June 5, 2011

Have you ever hugged an alpaca?

If you haven't, run out and hug one today...because they are cute beyond belief and twice as sweet! I was lucky enough to spend some time at theAlpaca Bella Suri Farm a few weeks ago. I'm friends with the owner, Bill, and he let me come over to photograph and play with the little cuties!

A baby Suri Alpaca, called a cria, rests in the play yard watching all the action.

...taking a quick nap!

There are two types of alpacas, Suri Alpacas and Huacaya Alpacas. You can tell the difference between the two by their fleece:

Suri Alpacas

Suris have silky, flowing fleece. It lies close to the body and hangs down in shiny locks (almost like a curtain of silky, pencil-thin dreadlocks). Suris are rare, and breeders are working hard to preserve the breed. Right now, Suris account for only 6% of the world's population.

Huacaya Alpacas

Huacayas have wooly fleece like a lamb. The fleece sticks out from the body and is dense, soft...and curly. They look a little like long-necked Teddy bears and are just as cuddly!

I am going to try to post all week on the alpacas, introducing little bits of info here and there, and showing the two different types. I learned a lot from Bill...they are incredible animals.

...thanks, everyone! I know what you mean...I want one for my very own too! None of these alpacas "spit." I've heard about that, but didn't have to experience it. I've read not all alpacas spit. Maybe these are non-spitting happy alpacas! :-)

My Camera and Lenses

I hand hold the camera for all my photos (I used to use a monopod or tripod for distance and macro, but the VR lenses don't seem to require it). I crop the images down in Aperture (I'm a Mac).

The Story Behind "Red and the Peanut"

Red and the Peanut is named after my first bird memory. When I was about six, I was at my Great Aunt Mary's house and she was telling me about Red and the peanut. "Red" was a Northern Cardinal that had trained Aunt Mary to feed it peanuts on demand. Since Aunt Mary's "Red" started it all, what better name could I choose?